Firemen{40 s wrenchlike tool

ABSTRACT

A tool, possessing particular utility for firemen, is formed from a one-piece, rigid bar having a straight lever body portion with opposing ends, on one of which is an integral, obtusely angularly arranged end portion. The lever body and angular end portions have complemental, angularly disposed inner sides that straddle the periphery of a spoked hand valve wheel and engage it tangentially at circumferentially spaced fulcrum points. A hook element normally operatively depends from the angular end portion to engage a spoke and the opposite end of the lever body portion serves as a handle to which torque is applied in turning the handwheel.

United States Patent Prial Feb. 15,1972

[54] FIREMEN'S WRENCHLIKE TOOL 1,472,517 10/1923 Fry ..7/1G 1,508,4899/1924 Vlchek...

[ 1 ABSTRACT A tool, possessing particular utility for firemen, isformed from a one-piece, rigid bar having a straight lever body portionwith opposing ends, on one of which is an integral, obtusely angularlyarranged end portion. The lever body and angular end portions havecomplemental, angularly disposed inner sides that straddle the peripheryof a spoked hand valve wheel and engage it tangentially atcircumferentially spaced fulcrum points. A hook element normallyoperatively depends from the angular end portion to engage a spoke andthe opposite end of the lever body portion serves as a handle to whichtorque is applied in turning the handwheel.

2 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures PATENYEUFEB 15 I972 3,641,846

INVENTOR PETER J. PRIAL FIREMEN S WRENCIILIKE TOOL The present inventiongenerally appertains to improvements in bar-type tools, this applicationbeing a continuationin-part application of my copending application Ser.No. 867,311, filed Oct. 17, 1969 and now abandoned.

A distinct need exists for a compact and simplified multipurpose toolfor fire department work. Firemen frequently have a need for crowbarsand prying bars and also for wrenches and other handtools in theperformance of their work, usually under conditions of danger. Separatetools for the various common tasks are inconvenient, expensive and timeconsuming where time is obviously of the essence.

The objective of the present invention is to provide a single durableeconomical tool to assist firemen and the like in performing several ofthe most common tasks encountered as the scene of a fire, the tool beingessentially unitary and having only one moving part which cannot beseparated or lost. The multipurpose tool of the invention includes arigid bar body portion with tapered bifurcated ends enabling the tool toserve as a small crowbar or prying bar. It can also be manipulated as ahammer to smash windows and skylights or to break door panels inemergency situations. It possesses a fixed wrench lug which allows thefireman to quickly remove or replace standard sprinkler heads. The mainfeature of the tool resides in a quickly adjustable free-sliding hookelement on the bar body portion enabling the tool to serve as aspanner-type wrench for turning spoked or wheel-type valve handles ofall sizes on standpipes and for turning firehose couplings which haveturning lugs projecting therefrom.

The tool is formed from a one-piece, rigid bar having a substantiallystraight lever body portion with opposing ends. An angular end portionis formed integrally with one end and is arranged at an obtuse angle tothe lever body portion. The long lever body portion and the relativelyshort angular end portion have complemental inner sides which aresubstantially flat to constitute good bearing surfaces. A hook elementis carried by the bar and normally operatively depends from the angularend portion to engage a radial spoke ofa spoked hand valve wheel, whilethe inner sides of the lever body portion and the angular end portionstraddle the periphery of the handwheel and engage the peripherytangentially at circumferentially spaced fulcrum points. The oppositeend of the lever body portion, as the hook element engages the radialspoke and the lever body portion and angular end portion bear on thewheel periphery at points opposite the juncture point between suchportions, serves as a handle to which torque can be applied in causingthe bar to turn on the periphery of the wheel and the hook element topull on the spoke of the wheel. Thus, the handwheel is turned easily andquickly without regard to the possible stuck condition of the handwheeland with great safety to the user, since there is no likelihood of thetool slipping off the handwheel. Other features and advantages of theinvention will be apparent during the course of the followingdescription, having reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING FIGURES FIG. 1 is a perspective showing ofthe tool of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side elevational view of the tool of FIG. 1 and showing thesame in use in turning engagement ofa hand valve wheel.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a modified form of tool, wherein thehook element is retained captive on the bar by the tapered bifurcatedouter ends on the lever body portion and the angular end portion.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to the drawings indetail, wherein like numerals designate like parts, and referring firstto FIGS. 1 and 2, the numeral 18 designates a tool which is formed inone piece from rigid bar stock and which is composed of an elongated,substantially straight lever body portion 19 having an outer end and aninner end. A relatively short angular end portion 20 is formed integralwith the inner end of the lever body portion and is disposed at anobtuse angle to the axis of the lever body portion. The angular endportion has an outer free end and its inner end is integral with theinner end of the lever body portion. The lever body portion has asubstantially flat inner side 19a and the angular end portion 20 has aninner flat side 202, such inner sides being complemental and beingarranged at an obtuse angle. The inner sides constitute good bearingsurfaces for the contact of the lever body portion and the angular endportion with the periphery of spoked hand valve wheel 24.

The lever body portion and the angular end portion engage the periphery25 of the handwheel 24 at tangentially spaced points 26 and 27,respectively, as such portions of the bar tool 18 straddle the peripheryin overlying engagement thereof, as shown in FIG. 2. In such position, ahook element 23 engages a spoke of the handwheel; The hook element 23,,as shown in FIG. 2, normally operatively depends from the angular endportion 20 and engages the spoke 28 of the handwheel as the lever bodyportion and the angular end portion engage at points 26 and 27 theperiphery of the handwheel. In such placement of the tool on thehandwheel, the outer end portion 29 of the lever body portion serves asa handle and torque applied downwardly thereon will produce a turningmovement of the handwheel through the bearing and turning points 26 and27 and the pulling ofthe hook element on the spoke.

The hook element is provided with a ring or eye end portion 21 that isof an internal size and area, as shown in FIG. 1, to slidably engage thebar. It is prevented from coming off the outer ends of the angular endportion and the lever body portion by small projections 22 inserted inor carried by such ends so that the projections extend laterallytherefrom and keep the hook element captive on the bar tool 18.

As shown in FIG. 3, the tool 18a is formed and used the same as the tool18, except that the means for preventing withdrawal of the hook elementcompletely from the tool is provided by tapered bifurcated outer endportions 29 and 30 formed on the lever body portion and the angular endportion. Such end portions 29 and 30 also can function as prying tips inusing the tool 18a as a crowbar or pry bar.

The tool 18a can also have a wrench jaw 31 secured on the inner side ofthe lever body portion adjacent the outer end thereof, such wrench jawserving to hold the hook element on the tool and also cooperating withthe inner side of the lever body portion to form an open-end wrench thatadds to the utility of the tool 18a.

A further and optional feature of the tool l8aresides in the provisionof a square notch 30' in the tip 30. The special purpose of this notchis to fit over the square web usually found on the inside of an ordinarydoor lock cylinder, enabling the tool to be used for removing thecylinder by driving it down and prying it out of the door. When thecylinder is pried out, the lock may be opened with a screwdriver anddamage to the door is minimized.

It is to be understood that the forms of the invention herein shown anddescribed are to be taken as preferred examples of the same, and thatvarious changes in shape, size and arrangement of parts may be resortedto, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A wrench-type tool for turning a spoked hand valve wheel or the likecomprising a rigid angular bar including an elongated substantiallystraight lever body portion having a substantially flat inner side andopposing inner and outer ends, a relatively short angular end portionintegral with the inner end of the lever body portion and arranged at anobtuse angle to the inner side of the lever body portion and having asubstantially flat inner side constituting an obtuse angular extensionof the inner side of the lever body portion, said angular end portionhaving an outer free end, said angular bar being seated on the peripheryof a handwheel with the inner sides of the lever body portion and theangular end portion contacting said hook element having a substantiallyclosed eye freely slidable on the bar and projection means laterallyextending from the bar at the outer ends of the lever body portion andthe angular end portion to maintain the hook element captive on the bar.

2. The invention of claim 1 wherein said projection means includestapered bifurcated tips on the outer ends of the lever body portion andthe angular end portion.

1. A wrench-type tool for turning a spoked hand valve wheel or the likecomprising a rigid angular bar including an elongated substantiallystraight lever body portion having a substantially flat inner side andopposing inner and outer ends, a relatively short angular end portionintegral with the inner end of the lever body portion and arranged at anobtuse angle to the inner side of the lever body portion and having asubstantially flat inner side constituting an obtuse angular extensionof the inner side of the lever body portion, said angular end portionhaving an outer free end, said angular bar being seated on the peripheryof a handwheel with the inner sides of the lever body portion and theangular end portion contacting the same tangentially atcircumferentially spaced points, the out ends of the lever body portionand the angular end portion being spaced from the periphery of thehandwheel during such wheel-engaging use of the tool, a hook elementcarried by the bar and normally operatively depending from the angularend portion thereof to engage a radial spoke of said handwheel while thebar is in engagement of the handwheel and the outer end of the leverbody portion constituting a handle to which downward torque can beapplied so as to turn the handwheel, said hook element having asubstantially closed eye freely slidable on the bar and projection meanslaterally extending from the bar at the outer ends of the lever bodyportion and the angular end portion to maintain the hook element captiveon the bar.
 2. The invention of claim 1 wherein said projection meansincludes tapered bifurcated tips on the outer ends of the lever bodyportion and the angular end portion.